- Top
- -
- Manyoshu
Ike no he no matsu no uraba ni furu yuki wa ioe furishike asu sae mo mimu
O snow falling on the needle tips of the pines beside the pond, pile up layer upon layer, so that we may gaze on you tomorrow as well.
Awayuki no konokoro tsugite kaku furaba ume no hatsuhana chiri ka suginamu
If the light snow keeps falling like this day after day, will the first plum blossoms scatter and be gone?
Manyoshu - Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Ume no hana ori mo orazu mo mitsuredomo koyoi no hana ni nao shikazukeri
I have looked at plum blossoms many times, broken off or left on the branch, but none, after all, can match tonight's flowers.
Manyoshu - Osada no Hirotsu no Otome
Ima no goto kokoro o tsune ni omoeraba mazu saku hana no tsuchi ni ochime ya mo
If only you would keep your heart always as it is now, would the first flower to bloom ever fall to the ground? Surely not.
Manyoshu - Agata no Inukai no Otome
Matsukage no asaji no ue no shirayuki o ketazute okamu koto wa kamo naki
The white snow lying on the low reeds in the shade of the pines: is there no way to keep it there without letting it melt?
Manyoshu - Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Takayama no suga no ha shinogi furu yuki no kenu to iubeku mo koi no shigekeku
Like the snow that falls pressing down the sedge leaves on the high mountains and then melts away, my longing grows so thick that I could say I am vanishing.
Manyoshu - Mikuni no Hitotari
Sakazuki ni ume no hana ukabe omoudochi nomite no nochi wa chirinu tomo yoshi
Let us float plum blossoms in our wine cups and drink together, friends of one heart; once we have drunk, the flowers may fall as they will.
Manyoshu - Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Tsukasa ni mo yurushitamaeri koyoi nomi nomamu sake kamo chirikosu na yume
Even the authorities have given their leave; is this wine only for tonight? Surely not; so, plum blossoms, never let yourselves fall.
Waga seko to futari mimaseba ikubaku ka kono furu yuki no ureshiku aramashi
If only I were watching it together with you, my lord, how much more this falling snow would delight me.
Manyoshu - Empress Kōmyō
Maki no ue ni furiokeru yuki no shikushiku mo omooyuru kamo sayo toe waga se
Like the snow piling layer on layer upon the fine cedars, thoughts of you come to me again and again; come to me tonight, my love.
Manyoshu - Osada no Hirotsu no Otome
Ume no hana chirasu arashi no oto nomi ni kikishi wagimo o miraku shi yoshi mo
You, whom I had known only by report, like the sound of the storm that scatters the plum blossoms: how good it is to see you at last.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Surugamaro
Hisakata no tsukuyo o kiyomi ume no hana kokoro hirakete aga omoeru kimi
The moonlit night is so clear that, like the plum blossoms opening, I have opened my heart in thinking of you, my love.
Manyoshu - Ki no Iratsume
Awayuki no kenubeki mono o ima made ni nagaraenuru wa imo ni awamu to zo
Though I might have vanished like the light snow, I have lived on until now only so that I might meet you, my sister.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tamura no Ōiratsume
Awayuki no niwa ni furishiki samuki yo o tamakura makazu hitori kamo nemu
On this cold night with light snow spread across the garden, must I sleep alone, without a lover's arm for my pillow?
Manyoshu - Otomo no Yakamochi
Yū sareba ogura no yama ni fusu shika no koyoi wa nakazu ine ni kerashi mo
Every evening the deer that lies on Mount Ogura calls out, but tonight it is silent. It seems it has already fallen asleep.
Manyoshu - Emperor Yūryaku
Imo ga tame ware tama hirou okie naru tama yose mochiko okitsu shiranami
For my wife's sake I am gathering jewels on the shore. You white waves of the open sea, bring the jewels that lie offshore and cast them up here for me.